House Study Bill 577
SENATE/HOUSE FILE
BY (PROPOSED JUDICIAL BRANCH
BILL)
Passed Senate, Date Passed House, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to county processing of orders for observation,
2 evaluation, and treatment of public patients at the state
3 psychiatric hospital at the state university of Iowa.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 225.10, Code 2005, is amended to read
1 2 as follows:
1 3 225.10 VOLUNTARY PUBLIC PATIENTS.
1 4 Persons suffering from mental diseases may be admitted to
1 5 the state psychiatric hospital as voluntary public patients as
1 6 follows: Any physician authorized to practice medicine,
1 7 osteopathy, or osteopathic medicine in the state of Iowa may
1 8 file information with any district court of the state or with
1 9 any judge thereof the office of the county general assistance
1 10 director of the person's county of residence, stating that the
1 11 physician has examined the person named therein and finds that
1 12 the person is suffering from some abnormal mental condition
1 13 that can probably be remedied by observation, treatment, and
1 14 hospital care; that the physician believes it would be
1 15 appropriate for the person to enter the state psychiatric
1 16 hospital for that purpose and that the person is willing to do
1 17 so; and that neither the person nor those legally responsible
1 18 for the person are able to provide the means for such the
1 19 observation, treatment, and hospital care.
1 20 Sec. 2. Section 225.12, Code 2005, is amended to read as
1 21 follows:
1 22 225.12 VOLUNTARY PUBLIC PATIENT == PHYSICIAN'S REPORT.
1 23 A physician filing information under section 225.10 shall
1 24 include a written report to the judge office of the county
1 25 general assistance director, giving such a history of the case
1 26 as will be likely to aid in the observation, treatment, and
1 27 hospital care of the person named in the information and
1 28 describing the same history in detail.
1 29 Sec. 3. Section 225.13, Code 2005, is amended to read as
1 30 follows:
1 31 225.13 FINANCIAL CONDITION.
1 32 It shall be the duty of the judge to have a thorough
1 33 investigation made by the county attorney of the county of
1 34 residence of the person named in the information regarding The
1 35 county general assistance director is responsible for
2 1 investigating the financial condition of that a person being
2 2 admitted to the state psychiatric hospital and of those
2 3 legally responsible for the person person's support.
2 4 Sec. 4. Section 225.14, Code 2005, is amended by striking
2 5 the section and inserting in lieu thereof the following:
2 6 225.14 PATIENT COSTS.
2 7 If it is determined through the financial condition
2 8 investigation made pursuant to section 225.13 that a person is
2 9 a committed or voluntary private patient, the person or those
2 10 legally responsible for the person's support are liable for
2 11 expenses as provided in section 225.22. The costs of a
2 12 committed or voluntary public patient shall be paid by the
2 13 state as provided in section 225.28.
2 14 Sec. 5. Section 225.16, Code 2005, is amended to read as
2 15 follows:
2 16 225.16 VOLUNTARY PUBLIC PATIENTS == ADMISSION.
2 17 1. If the judge of the district court, or the clerk of the
2 18 court, as aforesaid, county board of supervisors finds from
2 19 the physician's information which was filed under the
2 20 provisions of section 225.10, that it would be appropriate for
2 21 the person to enter be admitted to the state psychiatric
2 22 hospital, and the report of the county attorney general
2 23 assistance director made pursuant to section 225.13 shows that
2 24 neither the person nor and those who are legally responsible
2 25 for the person, are not able to pay the expenses thereof
2 26 incurred at the hospital, or are able to pay only a part of
2 27 the expenses, the judge or clerk person shall be considered to
2 28 be a voluntary public patient and the board of supervisors
2 29 shall enter an order directing direct that the said person
2 30 shall be sent to the state psychiatric hospital at the state
2 31 University university of Iowa for observation, treatment, and
2 32 hospital care as a voluntary public patient.
2 33 2. When the said patient arrives at the hospital, the
2 34 patient shall receive the same treatment as is provided be
2 35 cared for in the same manner as is provided for committed
3 1 public patients in section 225.15.
3 2 Sec. 6. Section 225.17, Code 2005, is amended to read as
3 3 follows:
3 4 225.17 COMMITTED PRIVATE PATIENT == TREATMENT.
3 5 1. If the judge of the district court finds upon the
3 6 review and determination made under the provisions of section
3 7 225.14 pursuant to section 225.11 that the respondent is an
3 8 appropriate subject for placement at the state psychiatric
3 9 hospital, and that the respondent, or those legally
3 10 responsible for the respondent, are able to pay the expenses
3 11 associated with the placement, the judge shall enter an order
3 12 directing that the respondent shall be sent to the state
3 13 psychiatric hospital at the state university of Iowa for
3 14 observation, treatment, and hospital care as a committed
3 15 private patient.
3 16 2. When the respondent arrives at the hospital, the
3 17 respondent shall receive the same treatment as is provided for
3 18 committed public patients in section 225.15, in compliance
3 19 with sections 229.13 to 229.16. However, observation,
3 20 treatment, and hospital care under this section of a
3 21 respondent whose expenses are payable in whole or in part by a
3 22 county shall only be provided as determined through the
3 23 central point of coordination process.
3 24 Sec. 7. Section 225.18, Code 2005, is amended to read as
3 25 follows:
3 26 225.18 ATTENDANTS.
3 27 The court or clerk county board of supervisors may appoint
3 28 a person to accompany the committed public patient or the
3 29 voluntary public patient or the committed private patient from
3 30 the place where the patient may be to the state psychiatric
3 31 hospital of the state university at Iowa City, or to accompany
3 32 the patient from the hospital to a place as may be designated
3 33 by the court or clerk board. If a patient is moved pursuant
3 34 to this section, at least one attendant shall be of the same
3 35 sex gender as the patient.
4 1 Sec. 8. Section 225.19, Code 2005, is amended to read as
4 2 follows:
4 3 225.19 COMPENSATION FOR ATTENDANT.
4 4 Any person An individual appointed by the court or judge or
4 5 clerk county board of supervisors to accompany said a person
4 6 to or from the hospital or to make an investigation and report
4 7 on any question involved in the complaint, other than the
4 8 physician making the examination, matter shall receive the sum
4 9 of three dollars per day for the time actually spent in making
4 10 such the investigation (except in cases where the person
4 11 appointed therefor receives a fixed salary or compensation)
4 12 and actual necessary expenses incurred in making such the
4 13 investigation or trip. This section does not apply to the
4 14 physician examining the person or to an appointee who receives
4 15 fixed compensation or a salary.
4 16 Sec. 9. Section 225.20, Code 2005, is amended to read as
4 17 follows:
4 18 225.20 COMPENSATION FOR PHYSICIAN.
4 19 The physician making the examination of a voluntary public
4 20 patient on which is based any information filed under section
4 21 225.10 shall receive such sum be compensated as the court may
4 22 direct directed by the county board of supervisors for each
4 23 and every examination information so made performed, and the
4 24 actual and necessary expenses incurred by the physician in
4 25 making such the examination, in conformity with the
4 26 requirements of this chapter, if the person named in the
4 27 information is referred to the state psychiatric hospital.
4 28 Sec. 10. Section 225.21, Code 2005, is amended to read as
4 29 follows:
4 30 225.21 VOUCHERS.
4 31 The person making claim to compensation under section
4 32 225.19 or 225.20 shall present to the court or judge an
4 33 itemized sworn statement of the claim, and when the claim for
4 34 compensation has been approved by the court or judge or clerk,
4 35 it shall be filed file the claim in the office of the county
5 1 auditor and shall be allowed. The claim is subject to review
5 2 and approval by the board of supervisors.
5 3 Sec. 11. Section 225.23, Code 2005, is amended to read as
5 4 follows:
5 5 225.23 COLLECTION FOR TREATMENT.
5 6 If the bills for such a committed or voluntary private
5 7 patient are paid by the state, it shall be the duty of the
5 8 state psychiatric hospital to shall file a certified copy of
5 9 the claim which has been so paid, for the bills with the
5 10 auditor of the proper patient's county, who of residence. The
5 11 county of residence shall proceed to collect the same by
5 12 action, if necessary, claim in the name of the state
5 13 psychiatric hospital, and when collected pay the same amount
5 14 collected to the director of the department of administrative
5 15 services. The hospital shall also, at the same time, forward
5 16 a duplicate of the account claim to the director of the
5 17 department of administrative services.
5 18 Sec. 12. Section 225.24, Code 2005, is amended to read as
5 19 follows:
5 20 225.24 COLLECTION OF PRELIMINARY EXPENSE.
5 21 Unless said a committed private patient or those legally
5 22 responsible for the patient patient's support offer to make
5 23 such settlement settle the amount of the claims, it shall also
5 24 be the duty of the county auditor of the proper person's
5 25 county as aforesaid to proceed to of residence shall collect,
5 26 by action if necessary, in the name of the said county, the
5 27 amount of all claims for per diem and expenses that have been
5 28 approved by the said court or judge county board of
5 29 supervisors and paid by the county treasurer of said county as
5 30 provided for under the provisions of section 225.21, and when.
5 31 Any amount collected to pay the same into the shall be
5 32 credited to the county treasury.
5 33 Sec. 13. Section 225.25, Code 2005, is amended to read as
5 34 follows:
5 35 225.25 COMMITMENT OF PRIVATE PATIENT AS PUBLIC.
6 1 If any a patient be admitted is committed to the state
6 2 psychiatric hospital as a private patient and thereafter an
6 3 order of commitment of the patient as a public patient be made
6 4 by the court or judge or clerk having jurisdiction thereof
6 5 after admission it is determined through an investigation made
6 6 pursuant to section 225.13 that the person is a public
6 7 patient, the expense of keeping and maintaining the patient
6 8 from the date of the filing of the information upon which the
6 9 order is made shall be paid by the state.
6 10 Sec. 14. Section 225.30, Code 2005, is amended to read as
6 11 follows:
6 12 225.30 BLANKS == AUDIT.
6 13 The medical faculty of the university of Iowa college of
6 14 medicine shall prepare blanks containing such questions and
6 15 requiring such information as may be necessary and proper to
6 16 be obtained by the physician who examines a person or
6 17 respondent whose referral to the state psychiatric hospital is
6 18 contemplated. A judge may request that a physician who
6 19 examines a respondent as required by section 229.10 complete
6 20 such blanks in duplicate in the course of the examination. A
6 21 physician who proposes to file information under section
6 22 225.10 shall obtain and complete such blanks in duplicate and
6 23 file them with the information. The blanks shall be printed
6 24 by the state and a supply thereof of the blanks shall be sent
6 25 to the clerk of each district court of the state made
6 26 available to counties. The director of the department of
6 27 administrative services shall audit, allow, and pay the cost
6 28 of the blanks as other bills for public printing are allowed
6 29 and paid.
6 30 EXPLANATION
6 31 This bill amends Code chapter 225, relating to the state
6 32 psychiatric hospital at the state university of Iowa, to
6 33 require the office of the county general assistance director
6 34 to conduct financial condition investigations of persons who
6 35 are sent to the state psychiatric hospital for evaluation and
7 1 treatment, instead of the court and the clerk of court. The
7 2 county board of supervisors is given the responsibility of
7 3 directing that a voluntary public patient be sent to the state
7 4 psychiatric hospital, instead of requiring a court order.
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